The present invention pertains to the field of digital-to-analog (D/A) converters. A D/A converter may be used with a personal computer to produce speech, music and other sounds.
In the past, a D/A converter had to be installed within a computer or connected to a computer's input/output (I/O) port. When installed within the computer, at least partial disassembly of the computer was required. This disassembly was done by either a technician or an experienced computer user; novice computer users were intimidated by the apparent complexity.
When connected to an I/O port of the personal computer, the D/A converter prevented other peripherals from using the same port. Either another port was added, or the cables connecting the peripherals to the I/O port were manually switched.
Furthermore, since many I/O ports do not provide power to peripheral devices, external D/A converters generally required a separate power supply.